Typically, a wireless access point may offer a plurality of service sets to a customer premise for the delivery of wireless communications between the access point and one or more client devices or stations, and the service sets may be provided over a plurality of frequency bands. For example, some wireless access points installed within a customer premise may include both a low frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz) and a high frequency band (e.g., 5 GHz band). Each frequency band offered by an access point may have advantages and disadvantages relative to other frequency bands.
Generally, a high frequency band is preferred for the delivery of media sessions (e.g., video) to client devices, assuming the high frequency band experiences lower levels of interference and has more flexible band options than a low frequency band. In addition, the time-sensitive nature of video services will generally require that delivery of video streams be given priority over data streams when the resources of a frequency band are stressed, and this prioritization may negatively impact data streams that share a frequency band with one or more video streams.
In some instances, one frequency band offered by the access point may become overloaded while another frequency band offered by the access point has excess capacity for delivering multiple services to client devices. When such a case arises, it is beneficial to force one or more client devices from the overloaded frequency band to the frequency band having excess capacity. The access point may steer one or more client devices using an excessive amount of wireless network resources from the overloaded frequency band to the frequency band having excess capacity. Several factors may go into deciding which client(s) to move to the other band (e.g., dual band support, signal strength, traffic load, current traffic activity, etc.).
The type of session being received by a client device may dictate whether the client device should remain on a current band or be steered to the other band. However, a client device's media session status is typically unknown by the access point. Moreover, the previously under-utilized frequency band may quickly become overloaded without careful consideration be given to the client devices and associated streaming sessions that are steered away from the previously overloaded frequency band. Therefore, it is desirable to improve upon methods, systems and apparatuses for band steering of one or more client devices.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.